


The Poor Man's Last Laugh

by PurpleArrowzandLeather



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Best Friends, Emotional Baggage, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-17 08:29:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18961594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleArrowzandLeather/pseuds/PurpleArrowzandLeather
Summary: In the events of Captain America: Civil War, Zemo doesn't get to see that his victory is short-lived.





	The Poor Man's Last Laugh

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing.  
> I'm not trying to be a Steve or Tony apologist. I love them both and I'm kinda mad at Marvel for making a movie meant to turn us against one or the other. I'm going to play this the way I want to so I can laugh in Zemo's face.

_After the fall of SHIELD_  

 _Steve dials Tony with shaky hands. How will he tell him? He doesn’t know what to say, and he definitely doesn’t know how Tony will react. There’s no telling what he’ll do when he finds out about his parents._  

 _“Yello?”_  

 _“Yeah, Tony. This is Steve.”_  

 _“Hey, Cap, just so you know, I was starting to get a bit curious about how you were doing, since SHIELD_ _kinda_ _just self-destructed. Need a place to crash? I’ve got the Tower rebuilt. Nice and shiny.”_  

 _“That’s not what I.... I have something to tell you Tony.”_  

 _Tony is quiet for a long moment, the grief and regret in his tone throwing him for a loop. “Okay?” He answers slowly, almost as if he’s unsure he wants to hear what Steve is saying._  

 _“Bucky is alive.”_  

 _Tony makes a noise, and Steve could almost consider it a nervous laugh. “You make that sound as if it’s a bad thing.”_  

 _“I don’t know how, but he’s....” Steve sighs, rubbing his forehead as he shifts in his seat. “Hydra turned him into a weapon. They call him the Winter Soldier.”_  

 _“Spooky. So, why do you sound like somebody died?”_  

 _“I don’t... I don’t even know how to tell you this.”_  

 _He can almost hear Tony grimace over the line. “Spit it out, Rogers. You’re making me twitch.”_  

 _“I think Hydra had him kill your parents.”_  

 _Tony is quiet for a long time. Steve waits patiently, knowing that eventually Tony will react. He’s always the wild card, but he’s a man that Steve would like to have in his corner. Bucky’s too, if they can manage it._  

 _“Tell me everything.”_  

 

           **Siberia**  

          Steve notices a change in Bucky right away when they reach the doors of the Hydra base. His hands stay steady, but his breaths are shallow. They move through the doors with a tense kind of caution. Bucky clutches his weapon almost desperately, swallowing as they move closer to something from his imprisonment. Steve really hopes he doesn’t start to hyperventilate before they find Zemo.  

          Bucky, on the other hand, knows that he won’t (hopefully). Steve needs him. He has to hold himself together even as memories turn his skin to ice and cause his throat to close up. He’s a bit skittish now, more on edge than he’s been in a long time. Zemo knows his controls, and he doesn’t know what he’ll do if he becomes the Winter Soldier again.  

          Steve keeps an eye on him. Bucky wishes he could tell Steve is wasn’t necessary, but the closer they get to the bottom floor, the more nervous he gets. 

          He whirls as he hears something approaching the doors behind them. Steve pulls his shield up, having been standing behind Bucky because he knew which way to go. Bucky lifts his weapon, a breath shuddering out of him. Whatever comes through that door will not be met lightly.  

          It’s Iron Man. 

          “Tony?” Steve intones, an almost relieved lilt to his tone.  

          “Yup. What? You thought I was going to let you do this alone?” 

          Steve lowers the shield a little, but not completely. Bucky stays in the shadows, clenching his jaw. Is Stark there to capture, or to help? There’s really only one way that Stark could have known where to go. He hates to think what happened to Steve’s friends.  

          “I didn’t figure Ross would have let you do anything.” 

          Tony smiles a little. “Well, he doesn’t actually know I’m here. I was kind of hoping we could keep it that way.” He glances back, spotting Bucky standing rigidly in place. “Do you mind? I’m here to help. Kind of a truce here, you know?” 

          Steve gestures for Bucky to stand down, almost smiling. He doesn’t fully trust this place either, even if Tony is around to lend a hand. Bucky turns, leading on. Stark quietly asks Steve what’s up with him as they walk and Steve murmurs back his answer. Bucky tries not to give in to the crawling feeling all over his skin at having someone other than Steve behind him.  

          When he opens the door to the cryo room, he’s assaulted by memories. He stumbles, Steve rushing forwards to help him. “Easy, just take it easy. Are you good?” 

          Bucky nods, a bit dazed. “M’ all right. It’s fine.” 

          Stark walks past them, eyes focused on the center of the room. “Um, guys?” 

          Bucky comes back to alertness with jarring swiftness. He looks up, noting the holes in each glass container and the state of the room itself. “He killed them? I don’t understand.” 

          Steve gestures him closer. “Keep your head down, Buck. We don’t know what’s in here.” 

          Bucky’s brow scrunches and he exhales through his nose, shaking his head. “Yes, we do.” 

          He walks a little bit away from Steve until he’s standing in front of the “operating station”. He can’t look away from it, the clamps bringing back ghosts of chills across his skin. The touch of metal on his face leaves him breathless and even a little claustrophobic.  

          “Easy, Barnes.” someone says, their tone careful. “You’re having a panic attack.” 

          He barely hears the man, old screams clouding his ears and noise that isn’t there deafening him. “What?” 

          A hand lands on his shoulder and hand grabs it. The metal of it snaps him back to reality and he turns as Stark directs him to the wall. “Just take it easy. Breathe.” 

          Bucky leans there, keeping his eyes on the floor. Stark and Steve stay close while still looking around. 

          “ _I_ _f it’s any comfort, they died in their sleep.”_  

          Steve whirls, shield flying with its usual physics-defying speed. Zemo almost laughs, explaining how the bunker was built for nuclear war and basically droning on about his victory without saying how he’ll obtain it. It makes Steve wonder what Zemo has up his sleeves. He even admits to killing the king of Wakanda just to get them to bring Bucky in. It’s a lot of work just to get them into an old Hydra base. 

          He plays a video.  

          Tony watches, and Steve keeps an eye on him. He’s heartbroken, but resigned. Bucky makes a noise, the sound almost helpless. Tony glances back at him, distress clear as day in his expression. He looks destroyed.  

          Steve closes his eyes. “I’m sorry, Tony.” 

          “It looks like you were right, Steve.” 

          “I wish I wasn’t.” 

          Bucky glances between them, the hurt in his eyes almost matched by his confusion. “You knew?” 

          Tony looks to the window where Zemo was watching, finding it empty. “Yeah, I knew. Have known, actually, since SHIELD fell.” 

          Steve puffs out a relieved breath, calming down from the tensions that had been running through him since entering the base. He and Tony have been over every inch of the data that Natasha dumped onto the internet. “So... are you going to let us go, or try to bring us to Ross?” 

          Tony rubs the back of his head, his fingers sliding against the small scar from being beaten around in his suit so much. “Try?” 

          “You know I can’t let you take him.” 

          Tony sighs, looking to Barnes with a shake of his head. “Just... just make it look good.” 

          Steve approaches, drawing Tony’s attention. He thinks that Steve might be doing the honors for a moment before an arm wraps around his throat from behind and he blacks out. For one panicked moment, he fears that Barnes will end him right there, just like Howard and Maria. 

          Once Bucky is sure he’s unconscious, he backs away as swiftly as possible. Steve finds something to put under his head and a thick piece of fabric to cover him up. It is a little cold in the bunker. 

          "So, now what?"

          Steve tugs his helmet off, placing it on Tony's chest. "Now, we leave it all behind."

**Author's Note:**

> This is me: laughing. :)


End file.
